Ranches

It's getting hard keep pace with Ellen DeGeneres' real estate doings. At the end of July she listed her 26-acre Thousand Oaks ranch estate for $10.995 million. Then a week later she ramps the price up to $12.995 million to include the furnishings. Now, the Multiple Listing Service is showing a status change to “looking for backup” (translation: there's a buy on the hook). To review, DeGeneres and her spouse, Portia de Rossi, bought the rural property in 2009 for $8.5 million and offered it two years later at $16.5 million.

Jewel-studded stiletto heels, rainbow-fringed leg warmers and sultry sequined gowns vie for my attention as I head to my local Taco Bell near Santee Alley in downtown L.A.'s fashion district. But I'm on a mission: to try the new Cool Ranch Doritos Locos taco supreme. Is that an unwieldy name or what? Making a Doritos taco shell could actually be genius, I think, as I step up to the counter at the fast food joint (which shares space with a Pizza Hut Express). It's a first for me. OK, I'll go with the Cool Ranch Doritos Locos taco supreme ($1.79)

Ellen DeGeneres' on-again, off-again love affair with her equestrian spread in the Hidden Valley area of Thousand Oaks seemed to be on again in April when Elle Decor featured the ranch retreat. Now the 26 acres are back up for sale at $10.995 million. DeGeneres and her spouse, Portia de Rossi, bought the rural property in 2009 for $8.5 million and listed it two years later at $16.5 million. The listing was canceled in September after nine months of offering the ranch, with its eight contemporary farmhouse-style cabins, two barns, yoga pavilion, stables and tennis court, at $14.9 million.

After a 2-8 season in 2012, West Ranch has a new coach, Jan Miller, up from the JV team. He's a former Marine sergeant major and current LAPD officer. The Wildcats have shown summer improvement, as demonstrated by making the championship game of the Saugus passing tournament. Miller said he doesn't have anyone on the team below a 2.8 grade-point average. Junior quarterback Chase Killingsworth has a 4.6 GPA and made a positive summer impression with his passing skills.

I highly recommend the Lazy J Ranch Motel, about three hours from Los Angeles. It's a wonderful place to stay with your dog. There is a large, grassy area next to the pool where the dog can run and play. The Kaweah River, a short walking distance away, provides a beautiful walk for both man and dog. Lake Kaweah, a 10-minute drive, has picnic boat rentals that perfectly accommodate the pooch. Much fun for all. Rooms from about $145 a night. Lazy J Ranch Motel , 39625 Sierra Drive, Three Rivers, Calif.; (559)

Three high schools in the Pomona Unified School District _ Pomona, Diamond Ranch and Garey _ will have new AstroTurf fields this fall. Construction began in May on the $16 million project. The fields are supposed to be ready in August. Each field will have artificial grass, similar to what was used at StubHub Center in Carson for the CIF state championship bowl games. Funding comes from a voter-approved bond measure that was passed in 2008. Eric.sondheimer@latimes.com

Oh, the joy of being a dog. Especially a dog with wealthy parents, um, I mean owners. More than a decade has passed since luxury hotels began throwing welcome parties for platinum-card-carrying pet owners . But with pets a $50-billion-a-year industry, it was only a matter of time before they began offering dining menus that had gone to the dogs, literally. Chefs at some of America's toniest hotels have hunkered down in their kitchens to create pets-only room-service delights: ranch-raised New Zealand venison, steak and eggs scrambled with aged Tillamook cheddar, wild Chinook salmon with brown rice.

"Star Wars" mastermind George Lucas turned Skywalker Ranch in Marin County into a bit of a love fest Saturday evening when he married Mellody Hobson in a ceremony officiated by journalist Bill Moyers. Hobson, 44, was given away by former New Jersey senator and longtime friend Bill Bradley, according to the Huffington Post, which saw its founder, Arianna Huffington, among the guests. Huffington told the Post that Moyers' words were quite moving, while Ron Howard tweeted that it was "nothing short of profound.

We've all been to catered events where the main finger food is a big bowl of chilled broccoli and cauliflower florets meant to dip in a bowl of ranch dressing or cheesy dip. It's not all that wine-friendly, really. That dressing can kill the wine, not to mention the vegetal taste of the raw broccoli especially. If you love good olive oil, pinzimonio is the way to go. It's an Italian antipasti of raw vegetables to dip in peppery extra-virgin olive oil, preferably Tuscan. Sometimes, it's just raw carrots and celery stuck in a jar. More often, it's those gorgeous baby purple artichokes so tender they can be eaten raw. And when you get lucky, it can be a beautifully assembled platter of all sorts of vegetables.